Turkic Transnationalism: Examining the Uyghurs of Xinjiang

Summary:

This Risk Report briefly examines transnational aspects of the Uyghurs of Xinjiang, China. As a Turkic group, Uyghurs have an ethnic association with other groups that are inclusive of Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Turks. However, there are key differences between the groups that enable the creation of distinct identities. Such distinctions can be made to an extent that interethnic empathy is virtually nonexistent. A review of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in covered, followed by an account of the tensions between the Uyghurs and the People’s Republic China, which is then followed by the strategic geographic positioning of Xinjiang in a global context. A case study of the Uyghur diaspora in Turkey is subsequently presented coupled with concluding thoughts.